Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz are "big inspirations", claims Pedro Martinez, feels motivated by rich legacy of Spanish tennis

Led by the world's two highest-ranked players, Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal, Spain currently has as many as eight players in the Top-65 of the ATP rankings. Among them is World No. 62 Pedro Martinez, who believes Spain's continued supremacy on the world stage is an extension of the country's rich legacy of tennis.

Martinez called Nadal and Alcaraz "big inspirations" while also highlighting the contributions of Spanish greats such as Manolo Santana, Sergi Bruguera, Alex Corretja, and his idol David Ferrer, among others.

The 25-year-old is himself part of a younger generation of Spaniards including Alcaraz, Jaume Munar, and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, tasked with carrying on the legacy of senior pros like Nadal, Roberto Bautista Agut, and Pablo Carreno Busta.

Gaining inspiration from the past and current superstars of Spanish tennis, Martinez believes he too can achieve great things.

"Nadal and Alcaraz are such a big inspiration," Pedro Martinez expressed in response to a question from Sportskeeda, during a press conference at the 2023 Tata Open Maharashtra. "(Over) the years we have Bruguera, Corretja, [Juan Carlos] Ferrero, [Albert] Costa, before them [Manuel] Orantes, [Manolo] Santana. Incredible number of players, David Ferrer, [Tommy] Robredo."

"Yes, ofcourse, watching all these guys playing and many others like Feliciano [Lopez], [Fernando] Verdasco, Guillermo-Garcia [Lopez], [Pablo] Andujar, they make you feel that you can achieve these things, that they are not impossible as many players do that," Martinez added.

Martinez further highlighted that a very strong training and coaching culture in Spain, with a focus on the grassroots, has been key to the success of tennis players from the country. The Alzira native hopes that such a culture within the sport remains intact in Spain.

"In Spain, we have a very good school of tennis I think and I hope people are still working on that, because it is important to keep showing the kids how to learn tennis. The numbers tell (the story) themselves," Martinez said.

Rafael Nadal expresses desire to play alongside fellow Spanish stars "one last time" at Davis Cup

The 22-time Grand Slam champion last played at the Davis Cup in 2019.

Spain's rich tennis culture over many years has meant that the men's team has also been among the powerhouses at the Davis Cup. While the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Pedro Martinez, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, and Jaume Munar, among others, are likely to form the face of the team in the future, Spanish legend Rafael Nadal has expressed his wish to play alongside his fellow Spaniards "one last time" at the Davis Cup before he bids farewell to tennis.

"Regarding Davis, I am aware that I have few options left, but in my ideal world I would like to play one last time and say goodbye. But there is a calendar and I don't know what will happen," the Spanish great said in an interview last month.

Spain's Davis Cup team has had a major change in personnel, with former World No. 3 David Ferrer taking over the reins of leadership as Team Captain going forward. Nadal and Ferrer have shared a great camaraderie over the years.